Hills

I got my last name from my father. Kotagiri. The mountain of the Kotas. I've only been there twice.

I don't know much of my family history from my dad's side apart from the name. He got the name from his father too, whom i've never met. But I did feel connected to this name when I visited the place.

The first time was when I was still a kid. I had horrible motion sickness, and Kotagiri is a hill station. My stomach did not agree with the drive there, and I remember the moment we reached the Kotagiri sign, I stuck my head outside the car window and threw up.

What a way to honour my name. I was still feeling very down, so we didn't explore much. There was a sign board of a school if I recall correctly, with the name Kotagiri in big fonts. I remember my dress matching the colour of that board so we took a picture.

We went to Ooty earlier this year on another road trip. We kept one day just to go to Kotagiri.

I drove us in my dad's car from the hotel till Kotagiri. We stopped by the side of the road on the way as we saw beautiful tea plantations on the hillside. There weren't any signs saying we weren't allowed in, and the gate to one plantation was open so we walked through the bushes of tea. On the edge of that hill was a rock from where you could see the valleys and the towns in the distance.

Since I was driving I didn't spot the kotagiri sign first. And by then it was too late to stop so we decided to take pictures on the way back. Kotagiri is like any other town in the hills. Small shops along the road, vegetable markets, little cafes and winding roads. We ate at one such cafe where the staff were very friendly and welcoming. We asked them for suggestions on things to do in Kotagiri, but there weren't any touristy things. Thinking back on it now, it makes me feel happy that Kotagiri isn't as famous as Ooty. I can have that pride when I tell people my last name.

We did find a trekking spot, but when we went there the people in charge said it was closed. So we really didn't do much in Kotagiri apart from taking pictures at the signboard and driving back to Ooty.

Looking at my Sonoma story, it's nice that these two experiences are so different. While Sonoma had too much to do, Kotagiri was a laid back chiller (literally) experience. And it gives me a sense of comfort to know that these places will stay even after I'm gone.